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Interview with Anne Zoet, Aubtor of Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil AND a GIVEAWAY

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this interview and giveaway, free of charge,from PR by the Book, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own.

This new book features characters in Brazil, and is a perfect follow up to the Olympics in Brqazil, where kids learned so much about the country!

Synopsis:

Visiting Brazil, an earthquake hits and separates a family from Purrball, their beloved cat. Purrball's mad dash leaves her lost in a jungle where she becomes fast friends with a very clever sloth named Burrball. The two quick-witted animals embark on a journey to find Darryl, the loving and loyal boy who longs for his adorable missing cat. An alluring tale of friendship, family, ingenuity, and persistence, with witty word rhythms and rich illustrations make Purrball an engaging read-aloud story.For kids ages 3-9.

And now for an inetrview with Anne
Zoet ,
author of Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil

What
inspired you to write this book?
The story hit me on a
day that I took out for myself away from my high tech work. I was
having a massage, which is when I zone-out and don’t think about
anything. Oddly, this time, I started creating the Purrball and
Burrball storyline the more and more I unwound. I was so relaxed
that the whole thing unfolded start to finish.

How
would you describe the characters of Purrball and Burrball?Smart,
kind, resourceful and they’re team players. Animals are invariably
way more clever than we humans give them credit for. I’ve seen my
cats use incredible logic to alter a situation they’re in. I once
had a cat run away in a place she didn’t know (the worst weeks of
my life searching every day) but she found her way back, though
completely unfamiliar with the surroundings. I have another cat, my
outdoor cat, who you can see trotting alongside opossums and
raccoons in evenings. That scared me so much at first, but
eventually we’ve come to see that he has a real relationship with
them. He’s so smart and the more I see the wildlife interact with
him, the more I see them as clever and accepting and even friendly.
The Purrball and Burrball characters came to me before I moved to
this area and could witness my cat and his outdoor adventures. But
this experience really solidified how Purrball and Burrball should
be portrayed as a team. I think that my cat’s experiences with
wildlife show that animals are capable of very unexpected bonds with
one another.

Why did
you choose to write about a cat and a sloth?I’m
crazy about both domestic and wild animals and it is a passion that
just gets deeper all the time. I’ve done a lot of research on cats
(on nutrition and behavior) as well as love to build cat structures
and make toys for them. And, I do not know who could look at a sloth
and not smile! They have the sweetest faces and they have so much
more to them than the “sloth” slowness we think of. They’re
rather industrious buggers and have some funny quirks, like the
wildlife that grows in their fur. I firmly believe they should never
be pets and should be kept wild. While the story is pure fantasy (as
are stories where animals communicate with phones!), I really want
to keep one a pet and the other wild and be true to my feelings
about that and it would be so lovely to pass all that along to
children!

How do
Purrball and Burrball use technology in the book?
Purrball,
the cat, is unable to send a critical text message, so she asks
Burrball, the sloth, if he could tap with his toes to write it.
Maybe that’s my wish: I wish my cats would find a way to text me
what they’re thinking, lol.

Why did
you decide to set the story in Brazil?
It had to be set
in the natural habitat of a sloth. I’ve always wanted to see a
Brazilian rainforest, so I just created my own. It is roughly in the
Atlantic Forest of Brazil and their plane arrives in Sao Paulo.
Earthquakes are incredibly rare in that region, so all the more
surprising that one happens when they arrive. After setting my
sights on this area, I’ve seen dozens of photos of both Sao Paulo
and the Atlantic Forest that make me long to go there! It is on my
bucket list.

What
does your writing process look like?
It’s very
interesting that verse isn’t the first thing that comes out. I
think it all through with as much rhyme as possible, but just let
the story be written in prose for a few versions until the story
gels. I can picture the scenery faster than I can create a rhyme.

What
was the most rewarding moment you experienced in writing Purrball
Meets Burrball in Brazil?
It was
seeing the art that kids created from my coloring pages! I always
loved to draw and I didn’t find coloring pages that interesting as
a kid. Now that I’ve seen what some kids have come up with (like
one used a gold pen to make a gold mobile phone), I think it can be
very creative. I look forward to some freehand drawings, if kids
post any to my site (and there’s an option for that at
purrballandburrball.com).

What
was the biggest challenge you faced in writing this book?
I’ve done a lot of digital art, but all for
technology-related purposes, so letting things take shape (and
learning from a very good freehand artist) was new, challenging, and
not always what I had wished it would be until I found my style.

You
also illustrated Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil.
How did illustrating the book compare to writing it?
It
was a bit easier, given that I’m familiar with creating digital
art for business purposes. To have artistic license was amazing and
both writing and illustrating were very creative and fulfilling. In
sum, illustrating was easier for me than writing, but both were much
lengthier than I had ever imagined. I spent a good six months
pulling both together.

Did any
of your three cats influence the character of Purrball,
either in physical likeness or personality?
All three:
one has the coloring of Purrball (I love grey kitties, although I
suppose Purrball is a bit blue, really) and she has some cute
characteristics—the scene where Purrball is looking up curiously
at Burrball is so her! I have another onn who is a squat and
roundish cat with intense eyes and sitting frontally she looks like
a black and white version of Purrball. And the last cat is the most
clever cat you could imagine. I rolled them all into one.

What
drew you to writing and illustrating a children’s book?
My niece and nephew were recently of picture book age and I
loved reading to them. I fell in love with books that were both
beautiful and cleverly written and also reminded me of the years we
live with unconstrained imagination. I love that animals are a big
part of books for children. I figured I had a lot to say that could
help kids fall in love with animals, like I did from a very early
age.

What is
the key to attracting young readers?
It’s letting
yourself be one for a moment—a good picture book can transport you
back there.

When
did your interest in writing begin? What about your interest in
illustration?
Recently, my dad reminded me of the
“novel” I wrote and illustrated when I was in fourth grade and a
few years ago he found my kindergarten poetry and illustrations. I
guess I had it in me a while. He always told me I should write. I
didn’t pay much attention to that, but like him, art has been a
part of my studies and career and learning to illustrate children’s
books is such a logical path in my life.

Which
writers inspired you as a kid? Which writers inspire you today?
As
a kid, I loved any book with intense colors with much to take in
visually on every page (like Where the Wild Things Are). I was
always moved by art at an early age and even didn’t want to move
from picture books to chapter books! As an adult, I am in love with
words as much as the art, so Chris Van Dusen’s “If I built a”
series is the type of book that inspires me to develop both. He is a
master at both.

Will we
see the duo return in a future book?
They have many
adventures ahead! If a picture book were not a short thing, I’d
probably be just finishing up chapter 18 at this time because I have
so many ideas for Purrball and Burrball. But yes, there’s one in
the works already as well as a few other animal adventures that are
rattling around in my head.

About the Author:

Anne Zoet is a freelance creative director for both technology giants and countless startups in the Silicon Valley. Her passions are art, words, travel, the environment and animals—all of which came together naturally in the creation of her children's picture book, "Purrball Meets Burrball in Brazil." In addition to her human family, Zoet shares her home with three domestic cats (though sometimes she wonders if they're not just a bit wild).

Kids can visit http://purrballandburrball.com and be the first to know about the next adventures of Purrball and Burrball! Kids are invited to find their inner cat and sloth: they can send Purrball and Burrball drawings, write their own adventures, help Purrball and Burrball out of their jungle mazes, download coloring pages...and much more!

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